The Occultist #3 – Comic Review

Witty and creepy, with bit of eww. What more do you need in a horror comic? A dash of superhero and fun characters for starters. I am two books late to Seeley and Norton’s The Occultist for Dark Horse, but really happy to be reading it now–for the guys, gals, and ghouls.

Jumping into a story in the middle isn’t always a good thing. My leap into the world of The Occultist midstream went smoothly enough thanks to the solid storytelling, smooth dialogue, and eye-catching art. Seeley and Norton blend tech and magic as well as they blend horror and superhero for an interesting read.

As the third book in a five-book arc, this issue has a lot of the action. Our hero, the young college guy Rob Bailey, has met up with a coven at a Catholic college somewhere in Rhode Island. His unique abilities and protections as the Sword strengthen the coven’s already daring out-of-body experiences. Rob has been missing in action back in New Hampshire. His friend and evil-fighting partner, Detective Anna Melendez, stumbles into danger looking for him and ends up with a new partner occult crime fighting. Luka, the witch of Rob’s dreams, seduces him with her feminine wiles and takes him into purgatory, and then to the gates of death. Will Rob’s desire for her have dire consequences? Probably. I’ll have to read issue #4 for that. And you should too.

After starting in the middle, I went back to issues #1 and #2 of this run, plus the one shot form December 2010, and the mini-series from 2011. I wanted to see the origin of the characters and get some background on Jacob Elder and Rob’s current mentor James Charles. Divination through cell phone guts and a ghoulish orphanage are just a few of the cool creations from Seeley if you invest in catching up on The Occultist. It was time and effort well spent, even it if did make this review late (sorry WPR editors!).

Editors Note: You are forgiven….this time.

For readers who like Hack/Slash and the Cal McDonald series and The Answer.

Adrienne is a regular consumer of speculative fiction, fantasy, and horror content--with the occasional costume drama thrown in for good measure. She resides in the Seattle metro-area and is all too often relaxing at home with champagne cocktails, a stack of comic books, and her trusted canine companion by her side.